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Sunday, 17 July 2016

How Ogakwu, Onobrakpeya stretched Beyond Limitations

By Tajudeen Sowole

One year after Chinedu Ogakwu
made his debut entry onto the Lagos art landscape, the Port Harcourt-based
artist has found collaboration with a colleague, John Urherigho Onobrakpeya.
Together, the two artists, last week, displayed the diversity in creative
enterprise of the canvas.

Revolution by Chinedu Ogakwu

While
Onobrakpeya brought onto the joint space, a subtle rendition in mostly abstract
impressionism, Ogakwu extended his textured canvas technique as the
collaboration produced Beyond Limitation, shown at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.
With works that blend modernist and contemporary contents, the artists are,
perhaps, suggesting that art terms that draw a line between periods are merely
active as vocabularies, and such expressions should not confine an artist.

With a
painting he titles Creation, Onobrakpeya takes viewers through celestial
realm by applying his palette of impressionism to peep into the world that, perhaps,
existed when there was nothing. Whatever relativity that his concept of Creation
suggests, the aesthetics of the painting is in separating of the canvas
into two, generating shades and hues of colours. In such quality, perhaps lies
the value of the beauty that exists in the painting.

Remember
the scene in Michael Jackson's rock-like Dirty Diana video track from
the late legend's 'Bad' album? Yes, that's what Onobrakpeya's Black Model,
a silhouette rendition of back-lit female figures, which appears like a lift
from Jackson's video. For those whose definition of woman virtue is celebrating
'figure 8', Onobrakpeya's Black Model is yours to savour.

Increasingly, contemporaneity is collapsing
traditional lines between genres nd medium, so suggests relief piece on canvas
technique of Ogakwu. From his Illimite solo exhibition, last year, held at the
same gallery, the artist continues to dazzle Lagos art scene, expanding his
cracked texture technique in the joint show.

For Beyond
Limitation, one of the works titled
Illusion, a gathering of wobbled faces in mask styles take one's memory back to
ancient art. And as nude male figures has become common themes for the artist,
he brings them in diverse moods.

In one
of the cracked canvas pieces titled Revolution, Ogakwu goes mystic in
the composite of a nude man lying on his back on a what looks like the globe.
Adding to the spiritual texture of the scene is a ray of light from an
anonymous source.

"My work consists of using bark of wood
to create the basis of the pieces," Ogakwu explained in his artist's
statement. "It's like a trance thus allows me to bring diverse sources
from my background, culture and life experiences. By transforming the bark of
wood in my work, they are given new relevancy."

Excerpts from Onobrakpeya's bio: He has
exhibited extensively and received so many Awards in Nigeria and Abroad. His
works can be found in Galleries, Hotels, Homes and Offices in Nigeria and
Abroad. He is known for creative Water fountain and swimming pools. He is into
Landscaping.